Government bodies set to miss own green IT targets?
Some two-thirds of public sector organisations said they don't think they can meet their green IT targets.


Public sector bodies are afraid they won't be able to meet green IT targets set by the government.
Over two-thirds of 150 public sector IT managers polled by Cisco said they don't think they can achieve green IT objectives, which include the government's IT going carbon neutral by 2012.
Just 22 per cent have internal green IT targets, the survey found, while just 13 per cent have even calculated their carbon footprint - a good starting point for any organisation looking to cut its emissions.
Indeed, many managers likely have no idea how much their energy use is costing. The research found that 81 per cent of the public sector managers don't directly pay for their energy use, while 67 per cent never see a bill for it.
That said, 70 per cent of the polled mangers said making IT greener is important to them, while 30 per cent have started using video conferencing and 28 per cent use IT to offer flexible working in a bid to cut carbon output from travel.
Neil Crockett, head of public sector at Cisco in the UK, said the report suggests the public sector is taking the right steps to greener IT, but more work remains.
"ICT has the power to transform the way the public sector delivers its services, helping to improve interagency communication and meet the Government's carbon reduction targets," he added in a statement.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Commenting on the survey results, Steve Palmer, president of SOCITM, noted that going green can also cut costs and improve services. "The economic downturn we face provides an enormous opportunity for maximising the potential that ICT has for delivering high quality, low carbon services," he said in a statement.
"Green ICT initiatives cannot just reduce travel, enable flexible working and reduce energy consumption; they can also improve the quality and delivery of frontline services," he added.
Palmer called on the public sector to get better at sharing information about going green, as the survey found just 16 per cent were sharing best practices and the knowledge they'd learned. "What is needed is greater understanding and collaboration between organisations to put these innovations into practice," he said.
Click here for our top 10 green IT tips.
Freelance journalist Nicole Kobie first started writing for ITPro in 2007, with bylines in New Scientist, Wired, PC Pro and many more.
Nicole the author of a book about the history of technology, The Long History of the Future.
-
How to implement a four-day week in tech
In-depth More companies are switching to a four-day week as they look to balance employee well-being with productivity
-
Intelligence sharing: The boost for businesses
In-depth Intelligence sharing with peers is essential if critical sectors are to be protected
-
‘A major step forward’: Keir Starmer’s £187 million tech skills drive welcomed by UK industry
News The ‘TechFirst’ program aims to shore up the UK’s digital skills to meet future AI needs
-
Government’s ‘Humphrey’ AI tool helps local authorities cut costs
News The Minute tool, part of the Humphrey AI assistant, is being trialled at 25 councils
-
Cisco names Oliver Tuszik as global sales chief
News Cisco has announced the appointment of Oliver Tuszik as its new executive vice president of global sales, who replaces Gary Steele.
-
Starmer bets big on AI to unlock public sector savings
News AI adoption could be a major boon for the UK and save taxpayers billions, according to prime minister Keir Starmer.
-
UK government targets ‘startup’ mindset in AI funding overhaul
News Public sector AI funding will be overhauled in the UK in a bid to simplify processes and push more projects into development.
-
Cisco wants to train 1.5 million Europeans in digital skills
News Cisco has unveiled plans to provide free training to 1.5 million people across the EU as part of a major digital skills drive.
-
UK government signs up Anthropic to improve public services
News The UK government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Anthropic to explore how the company's Claude AI assistant could be used to improve access to public services.
-
The UK’s AI ambitions face one major hurdle – finding enough home-grown talent
News Research shows UK enterprises are struggling to fill AI roles, raising concerns over the country's ability to meet expectations in the global AI race.